The Houston Rockets have fired head coach Kevin McHale on Wednesday.
The firing is a result of the Rockets struggling this season. Assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff will be the Rockets interim head coach, according to Yahoo Sports, which first reported the firing. Assistant Chris Finch will become an associate head coach.
"We're hanging our head," McHale said after the Rockets lost to the Boston Celtics on Monday, ESPN noted. "Things aren't going our way and we hang our head. Bottom line, we haven't put together really good basketball, all year."
McHale was in his fifth season with the Rockets. He signed a three-year contract extension last year and is owed about $12 million. Last season, he led the Rockets to a 56-26 record and the team made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1997, but were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors. He was 193-130 with the Rockets, according to the Associated Press. McHale is the winningest coach, by percentage, in Rockets history.